What are Developer Contributions (DCs)?
In Victoria, Developer Contributions (DCs) are monies collected from developers, governed by Development Contributions Plans (DCPs), which then fund infrastructure.
The DCPs are developed by the Victorian Planning Authority in conjunction with Councils and other Government Departments and service agencies. This ensures everyone agrees what the money should go toward and what infrastructure is required.
Communities that build more homes will receive funding for the things they need, including roads, paths and public transport, new and upgraded schools, upgraded health and community facilities and parks, playgrounds, sport and recreation spaces.
The residual funds in question were, however, collected under a completely different scheme in the 1990s and funds collected were not tied to individual projects.
How is community infrastructure such as roads, health services, and sporting facilities in Point Cook funded?
Wyndham City has essentially built Point Cook, via DCs, Council’s own funds and through State and Federal Grants. The State Government’s own Precinct Structure Plan was first delivered in the mid-1990s. For more than 20 years, Council has supported building infrastructure and providing vital services for residents of Point Cook and beyond.
Is Wyndham City Council spending DCs that have been collected in Point Cook in other areas of the municipality?
Council always invests money towards projects as per the State Government’s Precinct Structure Plans and agreed Developer Contribution Plans.
All obligations in Point Cook under the Developer Contribution Plans have been met.
As well, all contributions from developers that have built Point Cook DCs from the Point Cook Concept Plan have supported the delivery of various community centres, recreation and open spaces and a number of road projects in the area. Projects that were completed using these funds from Point Cook DCs were either in-part funded in different ways or came in at a lower cost. This left residual funds remaining.
At a council meeting in March, nine of the 11 Councillors voted to retain the residual funds while exploring the creation of a large-scale community events space for the community. That work is ongoing and will involve community consultation. No location has been selected for a space like this.
It is important to note that all residual funds from the Point Cook DCs have been reflected in successive Wyndham City Budgets. Wyndham City has met all legal obligations to deliver infrastructure and services in and around Point Cook.
Any reference that Wyndham City has not met its obligations is incorrect, false and misleading.
What is the actual amount of residual DCs?
Wyndham City currently has $24.4 million in unrestricted residual funds from the former Point Cook DCs.
That amount was previously $36.1 million – however Council funded almost one third of this for Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Jamieson Way Master Plan from this money, which included upgrades to the Community Centre with better facilities for maternal and child health, as well as a new multipurpose community space, and a new indoor multipurpose sporting facility currently under construction.
This has left Wyndham City with $24.4 million in residual funds. At its March Council meeting, nine of the 11 Councillors supported a proposal to investigate construction of a large-scale multi-purpose community event space to support residents from across the city.
Have all the DCs under the Point Cook Precinct Structure Plan been met?
Yes.
What has Wyndham City Council built in Point Cook?
Wyndham City has essentially built Point Cook, using DC’s, State and Federal Government grants and its own funds. It has invested, for more than 20 years, in vital infrastructure and services to make it a family-friendly, liveable part of Wyndham.
More recently, Wyndham City has invested:
•$11 million to implement the Jamieson Way Master Plan, including upgrades to the community centre with better facilities for maternal and child health, as well as a new multipurpose community space, and a new indoor multipurpose sporting facility currently under construction.
In addition, general Council cash has been used to fund, over the past few years:
• Almost $6 million to the Webster Street Reserve project, delivering multi-use sporting fields, including cricket and soccer, tennis courts, cricket nets and more.
• $3 million towards the Brookdale Reserve precinct, with baseball and softball fields, multi-use sporting field, including cricket and soccer, floodlighting for sports field, a batting cage, pavilion including change rooms and community space
• Upgrades to the pavilion at Tom Roberts Parade.
• Times Square Park – a $544,000 project that includes a new playground and swing set, nature play, a table tennis table, sheltered seating area, additional bench seating, new bike loops and more.
• Public Toilets at Jamieson Way Reserve and Brookdale Road Reserve
• Upgrades at The Strand, Hemsley Promenade, Southampton Drive Park, Cambridge Crescent Reserve, Barnstormer Blvd Boardwalk - Footbridge Upgrade.
• Shared user path upgrades and missing links complete for Skyward Drive, Sanctuary Lakes South Boulevard, Haze Drive, Grosset Way and Point Cook Homestead Road
• $5 million for the Sneydes Road Rehabilitation Project, which included pavement rehabilitation of Sneydes Road between Hacketts Road and Lennon Boulevard in Point Cook. The project received $3.5 million funding from Wyndham City and $1.5 million from the Federal Government as part of the Roads to Recovery Program.
Does Wyndham support the need for more aquatic facilities, libraries and indoor recreation centres?
Absolutely. The Victorian Government’s own independent advisory body – Infrastructure Victoria – recently released a report that talks to this. The report is here: https://www.infrastructurevictoria.com.au/resources/draft-30-year-strategy
The report found that residents in Wyndham have poor access to aquatic centres and recommends the Victorian Government contribute up to a third (33 per cent) of the cost to build or expand core components of the facilities, such as aquatic centres, with local and Australian governments covering the rest.
Wyndham City has already identified a location for such a facility, within the State Government’s own Precinct Structure Plan of Riverdale, in Tarneit: https://vpa.vic.gov.au/project/riverdale-precinct-structure-plan/
The cost of such a facility has been estimated at $120 million. Wyndham’s City’s total Capital Works Budget is $165.1 million – which is required to fund new and upgraded roads, services, libraries, community centres, kindergartens and various maternal and child health activities.
Why does Wyndham City need financial assistance to build such projects?
Recently, the Victorian Parliament released its report from the Inquiry into Local Government Funding and Services.
Some of the findings and recommendations included:
• Councils are faced with extreme cost pressures due to State Government cost-shifting.
• The State Government has taken money out of grants that the Federal Government has provided them to pass onto Councils.
• The State Government has failed to maintain a 50/50 funding contribution towards libraries.
• The State Government has failed to adequately fund maternal and child health services. This is a big hit to areas like us with 110 babies born a week.
• The costs of infrastructure and service delivery has risen at a pace that outstrips the grants that State Government provides to Councils – so we’re expected to do more with less.
• In the 2025-26 State Budget, the Victorian Government scrapped the Growing Suburbs Fund. This fund used to include $50 million to assist growth council’s such as Wyndham to build much needed infrastructure.
What impact has rate capping had on Wyndham City?
The State Government introduced rate-capping nine years ago. While we recognise no one wants to pay higher rates, Wyndham City – as one of the largest growth Councils in Australia – estimates it has cost the municipality more than $250 million in lost revenue – money that could have been used for much needed infrastructure and services for our community.
Why doesn’t Wyndham City Council build new facilities in Point Cook?
Wyndham City, via its own funds, DCs, State and Federal grants, has helped build Point Cook over the last 20 years. Wyndham City no longer owns land within Point Cook. We would welcome the State Government to provide us with more land to provide infrastructure in the future.